To wonder when they will ban guns in USA

[sannaville]

Those poor children at Conneticut school :( They mustve been absolutely petrified. When will the USA learn from these horrific shootings and out a ban on guns

"Fact is that in countries like the UK where guns are illegal the gun rate crime is much, much lower. Dunblain, hungerford, Cumbria, Raoul Moat although tbh I think that falls into a different category - we're talking mass murder here. "
Every household has a gun in Switzerland, and they have less gun crime than we do. The problem is with the culture of the US, not guns per se.

so maybe we should just accept then that america is full of nutters in which case they shouldn't be allowed to own guns anyway. Yes, I am being flippent, but honestly the arguments that "culture needs changing/well in Switzerland they have x and y and it's not the same..." are just reasons and justifications to do nothing.

So where do we draw the line then at this legalisation of stuff? Every crime will be committed if someone wants to do it badly enough. So maybe just do away with the concept of crime on the basis that most people are honourable citizens then?

One thing that certainly doesn't help is the way mental health care is handled in the US. I have very good (read, very, very expensive) health insurance. Even my excellent insurance makes it painfully difficult to go to a mental health care professional, and even after insurance it is prohibitively expensive. For those with inferior or non-existent insurance, it is simply impossible.

That's a really good point Dalek.

I think there's a lot if work to be done with young people in schools who are feeling alienated or disenfranchised. They need to reverse this notion that shooting up your school/workplace is just what you DO when it all gets too much.

If you paid me a million quid I would not want to live in the states. I really really do not understand their need to have guns. It's one fucked up place. Sorry but it is.

Banning guns in USA would be as hard as banning knives in UK.

My friend has moved to the states recently and can't get over all the well to do moms who have guns. It's like carrying bloody lipstick.

Pumpkin, there have been other female spree killers such as Amy Bishop, Sylvia Seegrist, and Jennifer San Marco, though they're less publicised than their male counterparts.

Thanks, just goes to show. I've never heard of any of them!

I don't see how it could work. There must be millions of guns already in circulation. I would love it though

Loveweekend how many years did you live in the states?

It being easy to get hold of a gun doesn't help the problem but there is something else going on.

In Switzerland virtually every household has a gun, and someone trained to use it.

What kind of gun though sash,

"Look at China.....knife attack....22 kids injured.."

22 kids injured vs 20 children dead + 6 staff dead

Americans are exasperating and ridiculous on this topic (in large numbers anyway)

My heart breaks, just breaks for the families

There'll continue to be lobbies, there'll continue to be debate, but the right to bear arms is enshrined in the Consitution and there'll be no amendment this century.

RIP all the little children and their teachers who lost their lives yesterday and may god bless those they've left behind.

Twitter is full of this, as you would expect. I don't follow many, but those that I do are all full of horror and posting 'anti-gun ownership' tweets. Looking at their feeds though, there are an awful lot of "prize my gun from my cold dead hands" type stuff and an awful lot from (I assume) NRA members talking about this tragedy being nothing more than 'post birth abortion'.

When you have sentiment like that being posted, I don't see how banning gun ownership will ever happen

I thought this was interesting though - from a post that was retweeted by Marti Noxon, it talks about Japan's policy for gun ownership - and the hoops the people have to jump through to get them:

To get a gun in Japan, first, you have to attend an all-day class and pass a written test, which are held only once per month. You also must take and pass a shooting range class. Then, head over to a hospital for a mental test and drug test (Japan is unusual in that potential gun owners must affirmatively prove their mental fitness), which you'll file with the police. Finally, pass a rigorous background check for any criminal record or association with criminal or extremist groups, and you will be the proud new owner of your shotgun or air rifle. Just don't forget to provide police with documentation on the specific location of the gun in your home, as well as the ammo, both of which must be locked and stored separately. And remember to have the police inspect the gun once per year and to re-take the class and exam every three years.

Rather than ban guns (which is never going to happen) maybe the US needs to look at more stringent methods of controlling ownership.

Guns owned by ordinary people = a % of dead people
More guns owned by more ordinary people = more dead people

Feckin lunacy.

Tee I'm not a pro-gun asshole as you so kindly called me. But whatever, it's a public forum and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, or so I thought.

I'm not a card carrying member of the NRA. In my former life I was a democratic rebel, at least according to my family, but like I said above I was brought up around guns and taught how to be safe around them.

And I do know the statistics about being less safe with a weapon around, but it gives my parents peace of mind and that is invaluable to me.

I just don't understand when a tragedy such as this occurs, everyone jumps on the weapon. The weapon didnt cause this man to go do what he did. I believe we should take care of the people.

It just seems hysteria to start shouting about weapons rather than what went wrong with this man, or society at large, that allowed such a thing to happen. I guess that's me looking for root cause rather than the superficial solution.

Guns owned by ordinary people = a % of dead people
More guns owned by more ordinary people = more dead people

So why doesn't it happen in Switzerland?

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Switzerland#section_1

This may explain why gun ownership is relatively high in Switzerland, but deaths by shooting are relatively low.
America has a major problem with the glorification of gun culture. In Switzerland gun ownership is normal but regulated and treated with respect.
I just fail to see why your average American citizen needs access to automatic/assault rifles for "home security". I've seen what's available for purchase at an average gun fair and its terrifying

Swiss gun politics

Try that again

I understand that it is not the weapon which has enacted the crime antsmarching but don't you agree that easy access to guns makes it easy for individuals with these tendencies to act on their impulses? Without the immediate access in some cases surely the impulses will never be acted upon. I am afraid it is not so clear cut as to just look at the people.

The second amendment to the constitution was written to allow the formation of a militia to protect the security and independence of the United States.

As far as I can tell the Redcoats fucked off over 200 years ago and aren't coming back anytime soon.

It doesn't or at least shouldn't give any Joe Shmoe from Hicksville USA the right to arm themselves to the teeth for no other reason because they can and a sick gun fetish that seem endemic in the US.

I know I am splitting hairs.

I wonder why its always schools? I think that if you wanted to get a gun illegally you would have to plan and ponder for longer - being able to get hold of a gun so easily has got to make it more dangerous. But I don't think that the gun laws will change in the US - so many people are so against gun control.

This is just so very tragic. That town will never be the same again will it - it will take more than a generation to heal. Makes me think of Aberfan, a whole community devastated.

I'm no expert, but if a lot of people keep guns for protection, and the legal and correct way of keeping them is in a locked cabinet separate from the ammo, how could that protect you if someone broke in??

This constitution was written in the 1700s - things have moved on since then. We don't fight in big wars anymore. They need to move with the times and see it as a priority to protect children. If someone can walk in a classroom and gun down all the children, shouldn't the American governments take some action, particularly as anyone can have a gun.

All this right to bear arms nonsense makes them look backward and immature for a super power.